The protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Artist of the Beautiful" is named Owen Warland. Warland is an artist that has always focused on not the useful works of art, but creations of ideal beauty. The artist is faced with nothing but criticism for his work by the people of his town, for they see no use in his creations. Peter Hovenden, Warland's former master, has only scorn for Warland's efforts. We as readers can assume that Warland is partially, if not completely, in love with Hovenden's daughter, Annie who also does not appreciate Warland. The artist, whose feelings were very delicate to begin with, is crushed when Annie marries local blacksmith Robert Danforth for he saw Annie as his inspiration and the only person to truly appreciate his art.
Eventually, Warland overcomes his grief and begins again with his work. The artist successfully achieves the utmost ideal beauty in the creation of a butterfly. This perfect butterfly is claimed to be "alive" as the creation incorporates the very essence of Warland's soul. Presented as a gift, Annie and Robert Danforth are awestruck by the incredible presence of this butterfly. However, upon touching the hand of Peter Hovenden, the butterfly begins to lose its color and "die." As soon as the hand was removed, the butterfly resumed life. The butterfly then flew into the hand of the Danforth's infant where it was immediately crushed and destroyed. The reader expects Owen Warland to be crushed. However, Warland seems to be at peace. "He had caught a far greater butterfly than this. When the artist rose high enough to achieve the beautiful, the symbol by which he made it perceptible to moral senses became of little value in his eyes while his spirit possessed itself in the enjoyment of the reality."
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